1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to skateboard decks. More particularly, this invention relates to a skateboard deck with a waffled wood core for added mass, increased strength and lighter weight.
2. Description of the Related Art
Skateboarding has maintained its popularity as a recreational sport for numerous years. Skateboards typically consist of a deck with two surfaces. On the top surface, the skateboarder stands on and maneuvers the board. The bottom surface attaches to trucks and wheels to support the deck and allow for motion.
There is an ever-increasing demand for high-performance skateboard decks. An important consideration for high-performance is the development of decks with increased strength and reduced weight. Stronger and lighter decks allow for more aggressive maneuvers and increased responsiveness. Another consideration is manufacturing costs. It is desirable to contain the cost for manufacturing new deck designs. Thus, there is a need for skateboard decks with added mass, increased strength, increased responsiveness, decreased weight and contained manufacturing costs.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,564, Olson discloses a snowboard comprising a flexible core element enveloped by a covering of resin impregnated fiberglass wherein the bottom surface of the core includes a plurality of parallel grooves running the longitudinal direction of the board such that in conjunction with resin impregnated fiberglass form a series of parallel integral hollow beam members increasing the strength of the board while simultaneously reducing the overall weight.
Instead of a core with grooves on its bottom surface only, the subject invention comprises a core with longitudinal ridges on the top, bottom or both surfaces. Forming ridges on both sides of the core substantially decreases the core weight. The longitudinal ridges also retain strength.
In addition, while Olson envelops a snowboard core with resin, the subject invention positions a skateboard core in between two wood portions. Wood is the preferred material for skateboard decks. The strength and impact resistance of wood are conducive to the aggressive and intricate maneuvers skateboarders perform.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,868, Madrid discloses a corrugated skateboard deck and method of corrugating skateboard decks in the skateboard deck manufacturing process. The corrugated skateboard deck has elongated corrugations embossed into at least one of its top and bottom surfaces and generally extending between first and second ends of the skateboard deck. The elongated corrugations are made up of ridges and grooves that are pressure-formed in a method of corrugating the surfaces of skateboard decks. This method utilizes a high-density corrugated template to emboss corrugations under high pressures.
Instead of corrugating a top or bottom surface of the deck, the subject invention forms longitudinal grooves on a core positioned in between two wood portions. Positioning the core in between solid layers of wood reduces weight and increases board strength without exposing the grooves on an outside surface of the skateboard deck.
In addition, while Madrid forms the corrugations by pressure molding the skateboard deck, the subject invention forms grooves by either molding or routing the wood core. By using a router, the subject invention can mill the surface of the wood core to a desired shape and thickness.